and joining me right now is shirley gibson. ms. gibson, this will be the last time you have -- >> this is our final time, mark. >> reporter: and you consider all these police officers -- >> my sons and daughters. these are my kids. and i really want them to be able to come out today and enjoy all brian's favorite foods. i would love to have that happen, everybody come. >> reporter: mrs. gibson has preparing this meal with the help of a lot of family and friends for 20 years. this will be the last day they'll serve, lining up here shortly. news4 will be here all day and into the evening to bring you live updates and to show you more of brian gibson's life and the legacy he le >> yes. >> reporter: that's the very latest back in southeast, back to you in the studio. >> what a beautiful way to remember her son. thank you, mike. >> for 20 years she's done this for hundreds of officers, terrific. >>> the discovery of a new set of footprints is giving researchers an incredibly clear picture of humans that roamed africa more than 3 million

brian gibson who died in the line of duty. but this is the last year officer gibson's mom is opening her home for the annual event. so as we report, it's somewhat t walks through shirley gibson's meal gets a meal and a big hug. shirley and her husband have been hosting the dinner since hir son brian was gunned down while on duty 20 years ago. >> they're my sons and daughters. and there is not a day that i don't pray for them. i hear siren and i say god, please take care of my kids. they're out. there. >> reporter: it started out as a way for her to cope with her loss. but i grew into something much bigger. after 20 years, she says with hundreds of officers coming through each year, it's become too much for her to keep up. >> for 20 years, i spent the month of december trying to make sure that the officers had a chance to come by and get a home cooked meal. >> reporter: in addition to the hundreds of officers who showed up today, the d.c. police helicopter also showed up to say thank you hov for gibson, today is a happy day hav

>> reporter: yeah, good evening from the gibson household. this is shirley gibson. this started 20 years ago when she decided to make her son, brian's, favorite holiday meal for his colleagues at the 4th district police station after he was killed in the line of du event that has just gotten too big for her to keep up with. it started as a way to cope with her loss. brian gibson was known to have a good sense of humor. >> hilarious. he was always laughing. always pulling practical jokes. always -- he was just a laugh a minute. he really was. but he also was a serious police officer. >> reporter: terence graduated from the police academy with brian. then they both served in operation desert storm. and he was there the night gibson was shot and killed by a man who just wanted to kill any cop he could find. >> it's really not a day that goes by that many of us who were there that night doesn't think about it. it was a tragic scene. no one ever expects to see that happen to any officer, especially to someone that you know, someone that you work with, and someone who you

gibson says next december she is planning to take a cruise. by the way, police are paying for that cruise. so well deserved. >> and who thinks mrs. gibson is really going to step away from all that. >> don't think so.i no intention of adopting.er, he was the very last kennel in the very last row. emaciated. he was skin and bones. usually what you see in neglected dogs. it was one of those complete, meant-to-be moments... i totally fell in love with him. (avo) through the subaru share the love event, we've helped the aspca save nearly thirty thousand animals so far. get a new subaru, and we'll donate another two hundred and fifty dollars to help those in need. ♪put a little love in your heart.♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon." tonight, join jimmy and his guests -- arnold swarzenegger. elle fanning.

for gibson, today is a happy day, having her mother here for the first time since brian died. but she says she'll miss cooking for the hundreds of giving out, shirley says it's her way of touching her son, brian, just one more time. >> it meant that i would get a chance to hug them with their vests on and with their service weapon on and feel my brian. >> reporter: while this is the last time shirley gibson will open her home to police officers for a holiday dinner, it may not be the last time that there's a holiday meal in honor of brian gibson. the police union hopes to carry on the tradition. as for shirley, the police chief showed up not too long ago with a $4,000 gift certificate so that she can take a cruise. in southeast, mark segraves, news 4. >> we remember so well that awful day when officer brian gibson was killed. >> sure do. >> and have remembered every single holiday since then. when mrs. gibson has taken it upon herself to feed what she calls her kids. >> isn't it hard to imagine mrs. gibson not doing this anymore? that, either. i think i might have heard her sa

gibson was killed in the line of duty back in 1997. for the past 20 years, his mother has been serving police officers his favorite meal in his honor. news 4's mark segraves is the a the house now with what makes tonight's meal so, so special. mark? >> reporter: yeah, good evening, as you said for the past 20 years, shirley gibbon's opened up her home washington to not just d.c. police officers but police officers from all over d.c., maryland, virginia, hundreds of them filing through here all day for what she says they deserve, a home-cooked meal during the holidays. this is the home of also brian gibson, who as you said, was killed in the line of duty 20 years ago. after a man who simply wanted to kill any police officer he could find opened fire on gibson in his squad car. as a way to cope with that loss, shirley cooked a holiday meal for his colleagues in the 4th district. it was only a handful of them back then, but now hundreds show up for this meal. shirley is helped by her family who come from as far away as south carolina, as

. >> shirley gibson is serving an early christmas dinner. opening her home to honor washington, d.c. police officers. she and her husband, harrison, do it in tribute to their son, 27-year-old brian gibson was killed in 1997. an ambush shooting as he sat in his patrol car at a traffic light. after his funeral, she tried to figure out how she was going to get through the holidays. her solution? cook all her son's favorite dishes and invite his fellow officers. >> it makes it great it starts our holiday for us. >> she starts cooking three days in advan. she's decided at age 70, this year's dinner will be the last. >> oh, my goodness! >> when she arrived to start shopping for the final time, a big surprise, dozens of police officers met her, forming an honor corden at the store innocence, inside washington's mayor with an early christmas gift. impossible to get tickets to the city's hottest attraction. >> we want to provide you and your family with 15 tickets to go to the african-american museum of history and culture. god bless you. >> we just

gibson says she and her husband will continue to support the group. but she said it's just gotten too big for her. >> today she plans to feed 300 officers. we are not sure what is on the menu, but we know she is baking 18 cakes. >> holy cow! >> just a tribute to her son and to honor the service the police ic maybe somebody will pick up the torch. >> that's what i was thinking. they are family to her, and she will tell you that. it is nice to watch her go shopping with an entourage with her. >>> anti-death discrimination debate. a push for more protection for the lbgt members. why parents argue proposed changes could hurt their kids. >>> and buyers from home foods, nearly a dozen managers let go from the stores and now we're learning why. >>> plus, break out your warmest coat and grab the space heater, all your accessories, hat, gloves, everything. the arctic blast is headed our way. when you'll feel the lowest temperatures of the season next in the storm team 4 forecast. >>> get ready, you have been warning us all week, and we are on the verge of havi

. >> reporter: shirley gibson is serving an early christmas dinner. opening her home to honor washington, d.c. police officers. she and her husband harrison do it in tribute to her son. brian was killed in 1997. an ambush shooting as he sat in a patrol car at a traffic light. after his funeral, she tried to get through the holidays. her solution is cook her son's fate dishes and invite fellow officers. >> it makes it great, it starts holidays for us. >> reporter: she cooks three days in advance him she decided at age 70, this year's dinner will be the last. >> oh my goodness! oh! >> reporter: when she arrived to start shopping for the time, a big surprise, dozens of police officers met her, forming an honor court at the store entrance. inside, washington's mayor, murial bowser with an early christmas gift. impossible to get tickets to the city's hottest attraction. >> we want to provide you and your family with this team ticket to go to the african-american museum of history and culture. god bless you. >> thank you so much! >> we just have to thank he

>> next, nina gibson, she's 48 from california. and it's important to know that her mom passed away when she was 49. so she already had vis as she was getting up in her 40s in her head. then she goes to the doctor and she is diagnosed as being morbidly obese and flipped out. she hated those words. so she told me, like, the biggest sort of motivator, and i think pinnacle of her being able to chaef weight-loss success is when she stopped f everybody around her was thinking she was lazy and gross, and you know what? that was her own insecurity. nobody felt like that. she went from a size 26 to a size 8, down 115 pounds. >> we're going to let her run in. she's a runner. >> she is a crazy runner. >> we're not ready yet. >> she's going to hit the finish line. >> take this. >> okay. we're ready. >> come on oun, nina! ♪ take a hold on me >> hugh-whew! >> yes! ♪ >> hey, girl. >> look at you. >> gorgeous. >> thank you so much. >> so -- you had to change your eating habits, i imagine, right? >> definitely. i went from, too much fast food.

shirley gibson hosted her final holiday dinner for d.c. police on wednesday, an end of an era for sure. she began the tradition after her son was killed on the job back in 1997. ms. gibson invited his coworkers over the first year because she couldn't imagine not cooking his favorite foods at christmas. she is ending the tradition because it has become too big. i think she hosted 400 for the last one, but we just thank you for everything you've done for the officers over the years. >>> all right. coming up on 5:20 this morning and it is a weather alert day. the man of the hour, chuck bell. don't start sighing now. you've got your work cut out for u. in ten minutes and if you're going to be outside let me give you some free advice. layer up. maybe do a little jogging in place to get the blood flowing. these are the current wind gusts. winds are gusting between 30 and 40 miles per hour in many, many locations. we do have a wind advisory and the tan shading here where winds could gust well over 40 miles per hour and this light blue back here

mom shirley gibson will host her 20th and final holiday dinner officer brian gibson. today she'll feed up to 300 district officers. >>> and there's a check of the next couple of days. not too bad today, but windy and ferociously cold today and tomorrow. a rain for a rain/sleet/snow mix saturday morning before it changes over to just rain. >>> chopper 4 is over the beltway at st. ban farnabas. >>> thank you for joining us on this wednesday morning. see you in 25 minut did you know slow internet can actually hold your business back? say goodbye to slow downloads, slow backups, slow everything. comcast business offers blazing fast and reliable internet that's 10 times faster rom the phone company. say hello to internet speeds up to 150 mbps. and add phone and tv for only $34.90 more a month. call today. comcast business. built for business. once again, this wondrous thing called "luck" shines on a new day. where will it shine today? who will feel its embrace? no one knows for sure. but one thing is certain -- its